Piece of Mind: A Novel

Lucy is a curious mix of intelligence and disability. As a narrator, she is sometimes difficult to understand, but I found myself empathizing with her and wondering just how she would manage. Grief is a prominent theme, but there is also a sense of hope.

Piece of Mind has its flaws—its weakness of resolution, its underdeveloped secondary characters, its saccharine-sweet storytelling—but at its heart is the extremely captivating mind of Lucy. Lucy is such a perfect blend of sweet and dysfunctional that it's difficult not to feel endearment toward her. Her messy, scattered way of living—the result of a brain injury suffered as a child—ensures difficult relations with everyone in her circle. In some ways, Lucy is a fully-functional adult; in others she is forever locked in her three-year-old frame of mind. Despite her frailty, or perhaps because of it, Lucy is lovable. She is eccentric and electric; her friends and family love her despite her flaws. Similarly, readers may love this show more book in spite of its flaws, choosing instead to focus on the sweetness that is Lucy.

Without Lucy, Adelman's novel would have suffered altogether too much from contrivances that saturate the plot and secondary characters (Nate and Frank excluded) that were vapid. With Lucy, Piece of Mind did the best it could. In my opinion, that would be 3.5 stars at most. I liked Lucy and I wanted better for her, but I desired a richer story that really put Lucy through the ringer without blaming her. In a different setting, a different universe, I could've really felt some deep empathy for Lucy, a sense of human connection. Here, I merely felt an affection, similar to the way a person may feel for their pet cat. Oh, you made a mess again, you rascal! I wish you'd stop breaking all my breakables, but I don't care 'cause you're so adorable and I can't help but love you. show less

This was a fascinating book. I'm not really sure what I thought about it, but it has definitely stuck with me. Lucy, the narrator, was hit by a car when she was very little, which left her with brain damage. Because of this her voice is...well, not something I encounter too much in the books I read. I very much enjoyed Lucy, but the plot was just so so. I feel like the author tried to hard to make something happen and should have focused more on the characterization.

When Lucy was three, she was hit by a truck and suffered traumatic brain injury. She does not remember the “before” of her life, only the “after” in which she has had to learn to deal with what she can and cannot do for herself.

The story, told in the first person by Lucy, is uplifting and poignant, filled with the delight and anguish and perplexity of a young woman trying to make her way in a world in which others say she does not quite fit and which often confuses her.

Lucy’s daily life revolves around several key characters, each drawn with depth and perception and having a unique way of interacting with Lucy. Lucy’s exuberance at visiting the animals in the zoo and sketching them is pure joy.

Readers will find themselves show more rooting for this quirky heroine who faces the challenge of each day with bravery and tenacity. This is one book that will be hard to set aside before the final page has been turned.

Highly recommended. show less

This book was so sweetly and movingly told---especially with the author's comments that her older sister, experiencing a brain injury in childhood, provided the drawings in her novel and also the book's inspiration. Written from Lucy's perspective was a revealing way to see the world---both convincing and upsetting in comparison to having a brain that works in what is a more normal pattern. The relationship between Lucy and Nate, her brother, was a big part of the story and beautiful as it developed.

from James:

Bildungsroman is a library subject heading given to works in which the main character has a "coming of age" moment or learns some great truth about his/herself and/or the world. Think David Cooperfield or Scout in To Kill a Mockingbird. Usually the main character is young and innocent and about to be handed-down some philosophical lesson or spoil. Nowdays, it's called Young Adult fiction.

Michelle Adelman's Piece of Mind has many of the characteristics of a Bildungsroman story. The protagonist, Lucy, isn't quite so young, but has a forced innocence typical of a teenager. As a 3-year old, she suffered a dramatic head trauma that left her with various issues, from a shuffling walk to headaches to impaired executive function. show more When major live events start to happen, Lucy is forced to cope with day-to-day tasks that were always handled by others; remember to eat, try to find work or at least purpose. She finds love. She makes friends.

Adelman's writing style is very reminiscent of most Young Adult fiction; it's an airy touch on big subjects. I'd recommend this book to fans of John Green and Elizabeth McCracken or anyone who likes a good Bildungsroman. show less